Phonograph-record matrix and method and apparatus for producing same



Dec. 4 1923.

J. T. DANIELS PHONOGRAPH RECORD MATRIX AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FORPRODUCING SAME 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 30 1 l/ l l Igzi M MMINVETOR.

M ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 4 1923 1,475,937

J. 'r. DANIELS PHONOGRAPH RECORD MATRIX AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FORPRODUCING SAME Filed Sept. 30 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet z E QMWMM i M INVNTOR.

Patented Dec. 4. 1923.

UNITED 5mm PATENT QFFICE.

JOHN THOMAS DANIELS, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE HANSON 6'0VAN .WINKLE (10., OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PHONOGRAPH-RECORD MATRIX AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SAME.

Application filed September 30, 1919. Serial Nd. 327,471.

To all-whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. DANIELS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newark, county of- Essex, State of New Jersey, have inventeda certain new and useful Improvement in Phono aph-Record Matrice's andMethods and pparatus for Producing Same.

My invention relates in general to the productlon of .disc records forphonographs and more particularly to the matrix from which the recordsare made.

In the usual process of making these records, an impression of the soundvibrations is taken 'in wax or other pliable material, after which thesoft record is made electrically conductive on this surface and the hardmaterial deposited thereon. The deposited material is then stripped fromthe original soft record and may for example be used directly for theimpre$ion of the multiple co ies in a suitable composition disc for s e.My invention provides an improvement .in this general process. Thematrix above referred to when produced according to the usualelectroplating process does not lie pprfectly flat but has produced uponit, by t e electrolytic action, a series of circular waves"; orundulations concentric with the center of the matrix. Apparently fromthis cause, uneven tensions are set up in the thin metallic structureand the matrix tends to buckle. Furthermore the uneven thickness, overdifierent portions of the matrix, renders it impractical to take evenimpressions from it, as unequal pressures are transmitted by thedifferent thicknesses.

According to my'mvention the matrix is apparentlyf equal tensionthroughout and has no tendency to buckle when stripped from the softimpression on which it is deposited. It. rests perfectly flat, and is ofconstantly. uniform thickness throughout, with the exception of theextreme periphery which is readily trimmed ofi or otherwisemanipulatedto obtain the uniform thickness to the ve edge. I accomplish this resultI) what. 'believe to be a new method of e ectroplating and by the use ofapparatus which constitutes an improvement'over the prior art. Animportant featurev of the method and apparatus is to be found in -thepeculiar movement given to the cathode during the deposition of thematrix thereon. The invention will be clearly understood from thedescription of one or two embodiments thereof, illustrated in theaccompanya ing drawings.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a. diagrammatic view partly in vertical section of one formof apparatus which may be employed.

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken parallel to the plane of the matrixshowing the construction of operating member by which the desired.movement of the cathode may be set forth in U. S. Patent 1,352,328 toTodd and King and obtainable in the market under the name Capitol. Theanodes 12 of nickel may be hung from the anode bars or rods 13 at twosides of the tank, with suitable space between the two groups of anodesto accommodate the cathode between them. In the example shown, thecathodeis in the form of two discs 14 (Figs. 1 and 2) which are hungfrom an operatin member, the construction of which will be betterunderstood from Figures 3, 4 and 5 of the drawing. Referring to thesefigures the operating member is shown as comprising two elongated barsor strips 15, of insulating material, which are suitably recessed tohave mounted within or between them the conducting bar or strip 16, thelower end of which is bifurcated or provided with a fork 17 within whichis mounted a worm gear 18, whose shaft 19 projects from the oppositefaces of the operating member 15 and serves as a conducting and rotatingsupport for the cathodes 14. The upper end of the conducting bar 17 mayhave a transverse conducting pin or trunnion 20 pro-- jecting throughthe two faces of the operating' member 15 and adapted to rest in slotsor notches 21 formed in tlie bifurcated end of an operatinglever 22.(Fig. 1) which in the example vshown is fulcrumed in the bracket 23, andoscillated by an eccentric mechanism 24, whose-pin 25 rides in theslotted outer end 26 of the ope-ratin lever 22. Electrical connectionmay be. ma e with the pin 20 by means of conductor 28., so that thecurrent from the cathodes 14 passes thru shaft 19, worm gear 18, fork17, bar 16, and trunnion 20 from which the conductor 28 leads back tothe source.

The'operating' member 15 is also provided with the rotary longitudinalshaft 29, which Y odes, as indicated by the dotted circle in Fig-.

has a worm 30, secured on its lower end, in mesh with the worm. gear 18.The upper end of shaft 29 projects beyond the top of operating member 15and has fixed thereon a ratchet wheel 31 with which a pawl 32, mountedadjacent .theretoon the top of operating member 15 is resiliently heldin engagementby means of its leaf spring 33. The operating lever 22 isprovided near its free end with a bracket 34 on"wb'ich' is mounted apawl 35, normally held in position by springs 36 to engage with theteeth of ratchet wheel 31. During the oscillation of operating lever 22the operating member 15 assumes a pendulum motion upon its trunnion 20which causes the ratchet wheel 31 to swing past the operatino pawl sothat the shaft 29 is turned a slight distance with each swing of thependulum.

The entire operation will now be apparent. Eccentric mechanism 24 is setin motion, the current-is permitted to flow from anode bars 13. andanodes 12 thru the solution 11 and cathodes 14 and so forth. as alreadydescribed. As the eccentric mechanism rotates, the operating lever 22swings up and down, causing movement of the trunnions 21 upon an arcwhose center is in the fulcrum or axis of the lever 22. This motion notonly causes the cathodes to rise and fall, but by reason of the angularmotion imparted to the trunnions 21, a transverse or pendulum swing isalso taken on'by the cathure 1. Inaddition'to'this more or less circularmotion of the cathode axis, the cathode is at the same time iven a stepby step movement about its axis 19, due to the rotation of the shaft 29,at each engagement ofpa'wl 35 with the ratchet wheel 31. The movement ofthe cathodes is thus in the nature of a planetary motion, their axis ingeneral describin a circular movement while the discs themse ves turnabout their axis. The resulting effect of this is to permit the deosition of metal to occur in a uniform an apparentl grain all directionswithin the plane of the deposits. It builds up evenly over substantiallythe entire surface and shows no undulations or waves which might causeunequal stresses and result in a structure homogeneous structure, withthe tending-to buckle when stripped off. The

deposit may perhaps be regarded as laminated in microscopic layers, withthe grain on each layer extending at an angle to that of the next layerdue to the. fraction of a turn given the disc at each actuation of theratchet wheel 31. I I

In practice the first deposition may advantageously be nickel and aftera firmly coherent layer of nickel has been built up, a

diagrammatic view of another mechanismv for obtaining substantially thesame result. Here it will be understood-thatthe tank 40 is filled withsolution as before and the electric circuits similarly arranged, and the.only. difference being in the mechanism imparting the planetary motionof the cathode. In this instance an operating disc 41 has the operatingmember 42 swing from an eccentric pin 43 which thus describes a circularmovement and while causing the cathode to rise and fall as well as movefrom side to side in the solution, this movement brings the ratchetwheel44 into engagement with .the fixed pawl 45, so that with each rotationof the disc 4.1,the ratchet wheel is turned one step and the cathodediscs are caused to turn a corresponding distance about their axis asbefore.

The constructions above described are only by way of example as it willbe apparent to those skilled in the art that the desired movements ofthe cathode can be secured in agreat many difi'e'rent ways.

I claim:

1. An electro-deposited matrix -for phonographic disk records, thematerial of said matrix being of substantially uniform tension in alldirections when the matrix surface is all in one plane, thereby avoidinga tendency to buckle.

2. A matrix of the character described,

istributed uniformly and evenly in comprising a substantial] flat disc,having phonographic disc records, .which comprises depositing the samefrom an electrolytic 4. The method of producing matrices forphonographicdisc records which comprises bodily moving the. submerged cathoderelativel to the anode, while simultaneously turning the cathode uponits axis.

.5. Apparatus of the character described comprising in combinationsuitably disposed anode material, a cathode, suitable electricalconnections, and means for imparting to said cathode combined bodily androtarymovement relatively to said anode material.

6. Apparatus of the character described comprismg in combinationelectrically connected anode and cathode materials, and means forimpartin planetary motion to said cathode materia l.

7. The method of treating articles which electroplating bath androtating the articles while in transit through the bath to agitate thevbath material.

. 8. The method of treating articles which comprises passing thearticles through an electroplating bath and impartin reciprocatory androtary movement to 'e articles while in transit through the bath tothereb agitate the bath material.

9. A process for the production of metal sheets, wire, tubes, cylindersand other articles wherein the cathode has imparted to it an oscillatingor reciprocating motion in the electrolyte substantially as described.

10. A process ior the production of metal sheets, wire, tubes,cy'linders and other articles wherein the cathode has imparted to it anoscillating or reciprocating motion and also a continuous orintermittent rotary motion, in the electrolyte, substantially asdescribed.

JOHN THOMAS DANIELS.

